It's amazing how far photography has advanced in the past 20 years. The threshold for professionalism is much higher, yet these little consumer cameras are encroaching further into that area every day. I've taken my little Canon down to the store and done product shots right there in the cheese aisle with no special lighting or anything.

This is a great example of how lighting, composition, and talent make great shots. Photoshop enhances the final product to become a stunning image. And having a great looking model doesn't hurt either. Use what you have in the right way and anything is possible.

When cameras (or camera phones) are marketed, it is often the number of pixels that is pushed as the most important metric. It is actually not the most useful metric.

The most important aspect of a camera or camera phone is the lens. The lenses on most phones and many cameras are cheap, and don't admit enough light for a good picture. Almost as important is the sensor too. Most digital cameras suffer from poor performance in low light, with grainy results, when compared to good old film. They are getting better, but there is still this gap.

Light is important, but I don't think it is the most important thing for a good camera or a good picture.

Also, photoshopping here defeats the purpose. It may be second nature to the design folk, but it is after all manipulation of the original image, and therefore one can't tell what corrections/enhancements were done to the image.

maybe it's just a matter of perspective to say light isn't the most important part. but the reality is good (or at least proper, for the image you're taking) light is necessary. and understanding how light affects your image and adjusting/adapting to it is paramount for taking a good photograph.

no matter what your equipment is or how well you frame an image, if the light is poor for what you're trying to accomplish, your photo will not be successful.